The Hill We Climbed

"A masterful book, The Hill We Climbed, invites readers to more than twenty rich chapters of captivating HBCU history that vividly chronicle the development, sustainability, and contributions of one of America's foremost cornerstones — Prairie View A&M University. This brilliantly written work is a welcome addition to the HBCU Studies literary canon as it illustrates the critical roles that Black colleges played in the nation's quest for greatness."—Cheryl E. Mango, HBCU Studies Academic Discipline Creator and Associate Professor of History at Virginia State University

"The Hill We Climbed offers readers an introduction to the magic and wonder of HBCUs through the lens of Prairie View A&M University. More than an institutional history, this collection of essays demonstrates the power of Black colleges and universities to cultivate legacies of leadership, service, and excellence to our nation and world. While celebrating the outsized impact of Prairie View and its faculty, staff, and alumni, the book does not shy away from discussing racial inequality in American higher education. Even with the historical underfunding, Prairie View continues to punch above its weight-class and give it students a world-class learning environment and opportunities to reach their highest potential."— Crystal R. Sanders, author of A Forgotten Migration: Black Southerners, Segregation Scholarships, and the Debt Owed to Public HBCUs

"The history of PVAMU is in the right hands. We would do well to learn the lessons of what it means to construct a Black institution of higher learning from seemingly nothing. For what seems like nothing is Black collective genius, making its way out of no way. We must learn from the past for there are more hills to come."—Joshua Myers, author of We Are Worth Fighting For: A History of the Howard University Student Protest of 1989

"The Hill We Climbed is a powerful and necessary chronicle of one of our nation's great historically Black universities. Will Guzmán and William T. Hoston bring Prairie View A&M's rich legacy to life, including its triumphs, struggles, and the extraordinary people who built the institution over time. This book reminds us why HBCUs matter and how deeply and profoundly their stories shape American higher education and society."—Marybeth Gasman, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education & Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University